Ticket-rack.



j 1%. 759,140. 'PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

H. W. THOMPSON.

\ TICKET RACK.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 28. 1904.

\ N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: a

m! mums PETERS co, Pllcroufmz. WASNINETON. u. c

UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEIca.

TICKET-RACK- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,140, dated May 3, 1904. Application filed January 28, 1904. Serial No. 190,973. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wasl ington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ticket-Racks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention has for its object to provide a swinging rack for holding and selling coupon-tickets used in a theater, public hall, and other place of amusement or instruction, and is intended for both the convenience of the seller and purchaser, in that the seller can determine at a glance whether a ticket for any part of the house has been'disposed of and can select that ticket contained in the rack which may be desired by the purchaser without danger of error or mistake in disposing of the wrong ticket to the patron.

It is the further object of the invention to enable the rack to be used for railroad-tickets, cards, all classes of papers and documents desired to be filed away for future use, and for other purposes where a rack of this character may be found useful.

The invention consists in a swinginglysuspended rack constructed substantially as shown in the drawings and hereinafter described and claimed. I

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a ticket-rack constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a horizontal section through a portion of one of the racks and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing a portion of the two shelves, the division-plate, and the two oppositely-diverging partition-plates extending from either side thereof; Fig. 4:, a detail in perspective, showing a portion of the two shelves and a portion of the partition-plate connected thereto by means of the grooves in said shelves; Fig. 5, a perspective View of one of the partition-plates.

In describing my invention I prefer to show it as especially adapted for use in a theater, public hall, or other place of amusement or instruction wherein is sold tickets having coupons attached with numbers or marks to correspond with the number of seats in the house.

The invention consists in one or more swingingly-suspended racks, in the present instance seven of such racks being shown, as indicated at A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, to represent the seven days of the week, and may be suspended in any suitable manner that will admit of the racks being swung back and forth upon their supports.

One of many means that I have shown for suspending the several racks resides in the arms H, with pivot-pins a, said arms having suitable brackets 71 for securing them to a suitable support .I by screws or other suitable fastenings, and the pivot-pins of said arms engaging bearings 0 upon the rear corners of each rack. The arms H gradually vary in length to adapt them to the number of racks used, so that each rack will be enabled to open or close independently of the other, which is considered of material importance over the racks that .are hinged to each other.

It should be noticed that the length of the arms H depends entirely upon the number of racks used, and to illustrate, if but one rack is used the arm which suspends said rack would be substantially equal in length to the thickness of this single rack, and if two racks were used the next one of the arms would be equal to the thickness of the two racks when taken together, and so on throughout the number of racks used, thereby making. provision for the independently-swinging of each rack without one rack depending upon another for its support,as would be the case were the racks hinged. together.

Although I have described one means for suspending the racks, so that the racks will be enabled to swing upon their supports in dependently of one another, I do not wish to be confined to the means shown, as any suitable means may be substituted so long as each rack is suspended independently of the other.

The series of racks, one for each day of the week, may be pivotally connected at their upper rear ends in any well-known manner and may be inclosed in a suitable case, this being left discretionary with the manufacturer so Too long as the racks are independently and swingingly supported.

'In the present instance each rack is provided with a thumb-piece or handle J projecting out therefrom, and upon this thumbpiece or handle is placed the day of the week, serving the double function of a thumb-piece or handle to swing the rack in opening or closiug it and also to ascertain the day the rack represents in selling tickets therefrom.

Each rack is provided with a series of re ceptacles (Z upon the outer and inner sides thereof and extending horizontally along the width of the rack, each receptacle being designed to receive an individual ticket, the coupon thereof projecting out beyond the end of the receptacle to expose it to view, as shown at X in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Each horizontal line or row of receptacles or pockets are lettered to correspond with the row of seats in the house, so that said row will contain an equal number of receptacles or pockets to correspond with the number of seats.

In the drawings I have shown only a portion of the alphabet sufiicient to illustrate the invention, and it is evident that one or more complete alphabets may be used to correspond with the seating capacity of the house.

It is intended that the series of receptacles or pockets upon the outer side of each rack hold the tickets for the evening performance or lecture and the receptacles or pockets upon the inner or opposite side hold the tickets of the matines or afternoon performance or lecture or may be used for the performance or lecture a week ahead, as found preferable. I do not, however, wish to be confined to the manner with which the racks may be used, as it is evident that the rack may be employed for holding tickets other than those used in theaters and public halls and may also be advantageously used for office purposes in filing away papers or documents,its uses being many and left entirely to the possessor of the rack.

A series of horizontal shelves K extend the width of the rack and are connected to a suitable frame L and have grooves 6, with which engage the upright partitions M to hold them in place, each partition having a flange f extending at an acute angle thereto to abut against the edge of the shelves to hold them in position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

I do not desire to limit my invention to any particular means for holding the partitions in place, as other means may be substituted with equal success. It should be understood that these partitions M are upright in forming the series of receptacles or pockets, the ticket resting upon its edge when in the receptacle or pocket, thereby enabling it to be more quickly read by the seller, as the tickets along the horizontal line of receptacles or pockets are all in an upright position, and the num- 5 bers of the coupons which project beyond the outer ends of the receptacles or pockets may be quickly ascertained by a simple glance of the eye, which would not be the case were the tickets lying flat, as is customary.

In the construction of the rack it should be understood that each of the upright partitions M is engaged with the grooves at the rear or inner edges of the horizontal shelves and moved along the grooves until the flange of the partitions abuts against the edge of the shelf K, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, this being done previous to the several parts of the rack being permanently connected together. places in the two sets of shelves K a suitable division-plate N is placed against the flanges of one set of partitions M, and the other series of shelves, with their partitions in place, is secured against the division-plate in any preferred manner and the several parts of the rack securely connected together as found most desirable. The central division-plateN forms a partition to divide off the two sets of receptacles or pockets, one upon each side of the rack, and in addition thereto to form a lock for each partition to hold it in place and prevent it from being withdrawn, as well as forming the end walls for each receptacle or pocket upon opposite sides of the rack.

The partitions M differ from the partitions heretofore in use in that the partition does not form a bottom or shelf to support the ticket on its flat side, as heretofore; but the partition used in the rack herein described is upright and simply divides the space of the rack into a multiplicity of receptacles or pockets, and the ticket instead of lying flatwise rests upon its edge.

The upright partitions M are disposed at an acute angle to the central division-plateN, thereby materially economizing in space compared with the space that would be necessary to arrange them at right angles to the division-plate, each series of receptacles or pockets formed by said partitions extending at acute angles, converging in opposite directions. 4

In constructing the rack metal, wood, or any other suitable material may be used in the various parts thereof, as found best adapted to After the partitions are all in their the purpose, and the racks may be of any size or hold the upright partitions in place, said receptacles or pockets upon each side of the rack converging in opposite directions, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I EtffiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY W. THOMPSON.

Witnesses JOHN J. KLEINER, GEORGE M. Bonn. 

